August 27, 201410 yr http://img.rasset.ie/00096839-630.jpg Ahead of her return to the X Factor former Girls Aloud star and newlywed Cheryl Fernandez-Versini chats about her feud with Simon Cowell, her love for Ed Sheeran and the toughest thing about being an X Factor judge. What made you decide to come back to the show this year and how does it feel to be back? Well aside from a lot of begging and grovelling on Mr Cowell’s part, it just felt like the right time to come back. I’d had enough time away to appreciate it and get really excited to find new talent again. Did you have any first day nerves when you started the auditions again or was it like riding a bike? This time it was like riding a bike. The first time I did it I was terrified, but this time I was more excited. Is there a particular type of contestant you are looking for this year – a specific genre, category, or music style perhaps? I’m always looking for somebody fresh. I’m never looking for the next whoever; the next Justin Beiber, the next One Direction. I want somebody to come in that we don’t quite know if we get it or not. Something fresh that we haven’t got. You once described Simon as your ‘frenemy’ – do you still think of him like that? How would you describe your relationship with him now? I think Simon’s a bit like an annoying brother. We’re like brother and sister and he’s the annoying one. We’ve heard that Simon has been winding you up during filming for the auditions – what’s he been doing and have you got your own back? Simon has his very own way of being very annoying. He knows which buttons to push and he’ll push them, and push them, and push them. But I play the long game. I’m waiting. Don’t worry about me, I’ll get my own back. So much is written about your wardrobe, do you look forward to planning your X Factor look or is it a daunting process given the huge focus there is on it? When I first started X Factor it was never focused on what the judges wore, it was about the contestants. I try and remember that’s what it’s all about. It’s not about what clothes I’m wearing. Obviously I like to feel nice and wear nice clothes, I’m a girly girl, so when it comes to the live shows I like to wear the sparkly dresses. But mainly it’s about the contestants for me and if people enjoy my dress that’s nice. Have there been any disagreements with your fellow judges so far? I think it would be uninteresting and not real if we didn’t disagree. Obviously it’s human nature and you feel different things for different people. So there’s been different points of view and disagreements. Which artist out there at the moment sums up what the X Factor is all about for you? I think Ed Sheeran’s definitely got the X Factor. The guy is a superstar. He writes amazing lyrics. His collaborations are spot on. His videos are fun. He’s unexpected, he’s not commercially what you would think of. He’s somebody that I would die for if he arrived at The X Factor to audition. You’ve been known to get emotional during auditions – have you cried in any of the auditions so far, what has been the most emotional audition for you? I have been moved in the auditions this series; it’s impossible to not feel human emotion where you’re that close to somebody. I was reunited with somebody I had on the first series I did (in 2008), and it was an emotional experience. So yes I have been touched this time around a couple of times but it’s not something I’m ashamed of or something I shy away from. What are you most excited about for this year’s series? What are you hoping to see? I hope this year we see somebody fresh and very different, and somebody that we can take around the world and say ‘this is a great ambassador for what we do.’ How’s the show going to be different this year? I think the show is different this year because we’ve changed a few of the format points, and obviously the panel changes everything because you’ve got different dynamics, and we choose things for different reasons and are attracted to different people. Me and Simon have always had that good chemistry where we bounce off each other. Also, being back in the rooms and finding good characters that you can take to an audience, and seeing whether they agree with us, makes a difference. I haven’t yet, and I don’t want to but unfortunately I’m going to have to, experience this chair business [the six chair challenge at Boot Camp], where I have to switch people around in chairs which is making me feel physically ill at the thought! You started out on a show like this and have said in the past you can relate to the contestants’ nerves on the day – what advice would you have for contestants on how to impress the panel, particularly Simon? Don’t try and impress Simon, stop it! The moment you put that pressure on yourself and he says something that isn’t what you want to hear it’s going to break your confidence. You should go out there to prove to all of us. Just relax, and be confident, but don’t walk that line of cockiness. Once I get the acts as a mentor, I’ll sit them down individually and tell them that. As you and Mel B have both come from girl groups, do you have similar opinions in terms of what you’re looking for from a group? We do and a lot of the time Mel says things and I think ‘that’s exactly how I would put it, that’s exactly how I feel.’ Not only about groups, just in general, I agree with a lot of the things she says and thinks. She has a very good way of putting things. She’s a bit more blunt than I am in her approach, which I love. But definitely when it comes to the girl groups we have the same answer about what it takes to be a girl group. How have you found it working with Mel B. Did you know her before working on the panel together? I’ve met Mel a few times briefly – I went to the Spice Girls reunion and saw her backstage. We’ve passed like that, but I’d never actually sat down and had a deep conversation or worked with her before, and we just gelled really quickly. Maybe that’s from being part of a girl group – it’s easy to slide into having camaraderie with another girl. She’s a girl’s girl like that so I’ve enjoyed working with her. You’ve previously described things as being ‘frosty’ between you and Louis – have things thawed? Louis is Louis. How was it going home to Newcastle for auditions? What would it mean to find a winner from there? I was actually really proud and really pleased by the Newcastle auditions, we’ve never gone up there. There was some really good talent, there’s one person in particular I can’t wait to see at the arenas. If I get another contestant from Newcastle, because I had Joe (McElderry) previously, it would be very exciting. How competitive are you and the other judges feeling this year? I’m feeling more competitive than I ever have. By nature I’m not a competitive person. But this time I’m feeling more competitive than ever. What’s the biggest ‘audition turn off’ for you? The biggest audition ‘turn off’ is when they come in the room and they try and kiss you, or they come in and break-dance before they’ve introduced themselves. Doing what they think you want them to do is a big no no for me – I want things to be authentic. What are the toughest things about being an X Factor judge? The toughest thing about being an X Factor judge is being the person to tell somebody you don’t think that they’re ready for their dream. That’s tough, that’s horrible. Judges’ houses, all that business, is tough. Source.
August 27, 201410 yr ! Lovely to see how highly she speaks of Mel B, can't wait to see them getting along on screen :wub:
August 27, 201410 yr Makes a change from her saying GA are better than the Spice Girls! :lol: but good to see the two biggest UK girl bands of all time havin an alliance!
August 28, 201410 yr Simon Cowell seems happy with that idea, so fingers crossed! :D I'd be so *.* if both GA & Spice Girls Greatest Hits / some songs re-entered the charts. #Ten4Platinum x
August 28, 201410 yr You know the Girls Aloud songs that they would pick though. - Jump - Love Machine - I'll Stand By You - Whole Lotta History - Call The Shots - The Promise Total borefest!
August 28, 201410 yr Author You know the Girls Aloud songs that they would pick though. - Jump - Love Machine - I'll Stand By You - Whole Lotta History - Call The Shots - The Promise Total borefest! I hope it's one of the early weeks so there are lots of contestants and lots of songs covered :kink: "Whole lotta history" don't stand a chance to get covered though. :lol: I'm actually quite excited to see songs like "Call the shots" covered by soloists, to see what they're doing with it!
August 28, 201410 yr "Whole lotta history" don't stand a chance to get covered though. If 'Nobody Knows' by P!nk can get covered then I'm sure 'Whole Lotta History' in a GA week would be quite plausible!
August 28, 201410 yr A few bits of Cheryl talking about boot camp and the six-chair challenge here: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s103/the-x-...ic-moments.html
August 29, 201410 yr It's (almost) time to face the music! The X Factor is back tomorrow - TOMORROW, PEOPLE - and we're getting very excited. And, it seems, so are the judges! Simon, Cheryl, Louis and Dermot (Mel was in the States) took to the stage at the show's launch earlier this week to give us some clues about what we can expect. Read on for all the highlights from their press conference as we bring you nine things to expect this series... 1. Cheryl and Simon might have been away for a while... but they slipped right back into things. "It's been like I've never been away, to be honest," Cheryl said. "Like the last four years evaporated and we're back to square one." Simon felt the same way, while, er, Louis has never left. "I think the talent this year is amazing," he said, though. "I think it's a different show, we're having more fun, and we're going to find stars." 2. Dermot is expecting some judge DRAMA. "I'm going to have my hands full when we come to the lives, because up to now they're all playing for the same team," he said. "Everyone wants to get 12 great acts, but when we get to the final I know already they're going to play dirty." But who is going to play dirty? "Louis is the dirtiest judge of them all!" Dermot revealed. 3. But don't expect much hate between Cheryl and Mel. Cheryl described Mel B as "amazing" and added later: "We bonded instantly. She cracks me up laughing. I actually get on really well with Mel. We've never had two girls get on so well, to be perfectly honest." Louis agreed: "It's the first time." God, Dannii, we're sorry. We really are. 4. Even Louis and Cheryl are apparently getting along. "There's very little we dislike about each other!" Louis claimed. "We disagree on certain things, musically and stuff, but we get on really, really well." Then Simon snorted, but Louis claimed he was just "stirring it up": "Ask Cheryl what she thinks!" Cheryl basically said: "He's been around a long, long, long time." Bit awkward, although she did then seem to say they get on "very, very well". Time will tell. 5. Cheryl won't be too worried about the audience. Cheryl might have told Digital Spy that she found the six chair challenge "barbaric" and that she had no strategy for it, but she isn't worrying about those pesky boos from the crowd. "I knew that at the end I had to take through the six people I believed had variety and had talent and I could work with well," she said. "The reaction from the crowd is pantomime to me. At the end of the day it had to be my decision and that's what I did, I made my decision." 6. The judges aren't really into child cruelty. The six chair challenge might be pretty tough, but Cheryl revealed that the judges have a few ground rules for the under-16s. "I actually had a girl in my category that was 15," she said. "And if we sat her in the chair, we never took them out of the chair. If they were under the age limit of 16 they never got removed from the chair." (Anyway, Dermot thinks it's a "good test of character": "The thing is, that's nothing in comparison to the pressure they have when they get through to the live shows.") 7. Expect lots and lots of bad, funny auditions. "I love the bad ones!" Simon grinned, as Louis agreed. "I think with the show if you ever made it too serious, if you just showed the good auditions, it would be boring," Simon added, which we're sure isn't a swipe at any other singing contestants out there. So, in other words, expect Cheryl doing a lot of sneaky giggling ("Sometimes you can't help but laugh... It is rude at times, so I try to hide it as best as possible"). But wait, is this a swipe at Gary Barlow, who famously hated the joke acts? "I never discussed it with him," Simon said, so we'll take that as a no. "I think this show is at its best when you see the good, the bad and the ugly," Simon said. "And we'd be lying if we just said everyone who turned up was great. It would be a very, very different show." As for Cheryl, she suggested that the novelty acts help the good ones shine. "I think it makes you appreciate the really great ones when you see the balance of what we see all day," she said. "Fifteen hours a day we see these interesting characters - I literally wanted to bang my head on the desk at one stage and [then one auditionee sang well]. The comparative gives you an example of what your choices are and who stands out as being amazing and has potential." Louis has a somewhat different take. "Sometimes you just get loads and loads of good singers, and you wait for somebody crazy to come in and you absolutely love them!" That does not surprise us. 8. The judges are feeling competitive. Simon relished the moment when one journalist revealed it had been nine years since Louis had won the show - "I've had people in the final!" he pointed out. But he seems to be feeling confident this time around: "I've got a very good category this year so I'm going to work really hard." He'll have to beat Cheryl, who not-at-all smugly pointed out that she has won twice and then had two people in the final. "So, you know, I take it quite seriously!" she said. "I feel really connected with them because I know how it feels to get on that stage and perform and be in that position, so I put myself in their shoes. I mentor them the best that I can, so it's just important that I give them everything that I've got more than winning. The star should win. And I think I've got the star!" 9. Tulisa WILL be at judges' houses with Louis. Yes, so it's the worst-kept secret ever, but Louis confirmed he took Tulisa to help him choose his final acts. So why? "Because I got to know her for two years on the show," he said. "She's had a really tough time, and I just thought I'd give her a ring. I asked Simon, he said yes, everybody said, 'Yes, it's a good idea'. And it was. We had a brilliant time, and she's looking great. She's back, she's got her mojo back. She deserves it - she's a really good girl." The X Factor begins tomorrow (August 30) at 8pm on ITV. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s103/the-x-...his-series.html Blanked out #9 in case anyone doesn't want to know Louis' guest mentor!
August 29, 201410 yr I think I'm going to watch this series as if Mel B and Cheryl get along, that'll be so much fun :P Louis is so desperate though for his guest :lol:
August 30, 201410 yr It was a fantastic first episode, poor Cheryl having to put up with that guy trying to dance with her! 'Crazy Stupid Love' has had a nice iTunes boost too, currently at #16.
August 30, 201410 yr Loved seeing Cheryl back on there, definitely missed her :wub: Excellent to see Crazy Stupid Love getting a boost too :cheer:
August 31, 201410 yr It's so nice to see her back, even through her blandness. There was a bit of a Chez-fest in both episodes wasn't there? I thought she was snappier and livelier in the second episode, and only Cheryl can signal a no with a slight shake of the head. Queen.
August 31, 201410 yr The whole tone of the second episode was so much better than the first imo. Cheryl and Mel have such great chemistry together. :heart:
August 31, 201410 yr Cheryl and Mel. <3 Possibly the best female pairing in the UK X Factor history thus far, in terms of chemistry/getting along. As much as I loved Dannii as a judge, it was clear that her & Cheryl were never going to be the closest of friends!
September 1, 201410 yr Author Haaaa it feels so good to have Cheryl back on the X Factor ! I really enjoyed both episodes and I think the panel works great together ! Cheryl is flawlessly amazing and it really is all about her, I love it :wub: I love the chemistry Cheryl has with Mel B as well. As much as I liked Dannii, she never had such a connection with Cheryl and I think the show works better with Mel B. Oh and I love all the SG and GA mentions as well :lol: I've yet to watch both Xtra Factor episodes too. Are they good as well? Edited September 1, 201410 yr by Hayzayy
September 1, 201410 yr Did anyone else see the rumours (probably just rumours) about a possible Cheryl and Mel collaboration?! :o :wub: Maybe it could be released as this year's X Factor 'charity single'.
